The project brief was to create a new porters lodge for the Owlstone Croft site in Newnham, Cambridge. The site entrance is flanked by a pair of near derelict cottages that have been unoccupied for approximately 50 years and had suffered from a combination of the elements and a lack of maintenance. Although not listed, the cottages are designated as ‘Building of Local Interest’ by Cambridge City Council.
The proposal was to create a secure entrance to the site including new entrance gates, new porters lodge on the ground floor with staff welfare facilities above.
Early discussions between the Design Team and the Conservation Officer agreed that the external elevations should remain largely unchanged but the internal layout could be altered to suit the new use.
The symmetrical layout of the cottages provided the opportunity to create a public and private entrance at either end of a new internal street. The existing rotten staircases were removed and a new spiral stair was located on the rear elevation as the only new addition to the external envelope.
The palette of external materials was kept traditional in order to blend the new addition with the existing building. Instead, the design relied on the new circular form to provide a simple reference between old and new.
The new entrance gates were original cast iron gates from the main site that had long since been removed and forgotten about. They were uncovered during a previous renovation project, adapted and brought back to life to complete the Lodge transformation.
Key Services carried out by Saunders Boston Architects:
- Retained and revitalised existing ‘Building of Local Interest’
- Full Planning Application and Approval
- Technical Delivery
- Site Support
- Submitted for the Cambridge Design & Construction Awards 2018
Awards
Shortlisted for the Conservation, Alteration or Extension of an Existing Building Category of the Cambridge Design and Construction Awards 2015
